Falcons wanted to trade back in first round

The Falcons came away with a solid tackle with a lot of upside in Jake Matthews in the first round of the NFL draft.

But that wasn't necessarily Plan A for the Falcons. Speaking to reporters after picking Matthews, Falcons general manager said the Falcons were looking to trade back in the first round to take a pass-rusher once Jadeveon Clowney and Khalil Mack were off the board.

"We worked hard at it, and you have to have a dance partner," Dimitroff said, via ESPN.com. "In the end, we didn't at the spots that we were interested."

Ryan Shazier and Dee Ford were options for the Falcons, though Shazier wound up going 15th overall to the Steelers. Ford went to Chiefs with the 23rd overall pick.

The Falcons will still have a chance to get a pass-rusher such as Kony Ealy, Demarcus Lawrence or another pass-rushing specialist. There's also the chance they could once again try to make a move to ensure they get a guy they covet, moving up from the 37th overall pick.

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